Liberia

In the months following the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, WFP has provided food assistance to tens of thousands of Ivorian refugees in Liberia. Each has a moving story to tell. Here is one of them.

Marie Jean Rose, a 37-year-old Ivorian refugee, fled the insecurity in her home area of Tabou, Côte d’Ivoire in June. Eight months pregnant, she traveled for three days and arrived in Harper City, Maryland County in Liberia, crossing the Pelebo border by boat.

Her husband decided to remain in Côte d’Ivoire. She has not heard from him since she left.

Marie was spotted by WFP staff at a final distribution point (FDP) in July looking exhausted. Her UNHCR ration card number did not come up in the feeding log and as a result, she was unable to receive food rations.

The WFP Head of Office, on a spot check mission to the FDP at the time, interviewed Marie and requested she be fed based on her status and level of vulnerability. WFP staff then made sure that made sure that her details were updated in the database for the next feeding cycle.

A month later, Marie appeared in the same FDP full of gratitude towards WFP. She reported that the week before, she had given birth to twin boys, who she had to leave at home while she collected the much-needed food ration.

WFP staff at the FDP gave her priority service so she could return home in time to breast feed her boys and since she was still weak from her delivery, made sure that she was assisted to reach home safely.

“I am so grateful to WFP,” said Marie. “I don’t know what I would have eaten after delivering my babies if WFP had not given me food last month.”